rodent

14 Stories

Australian Town Battles a Literal Sea of Rats
On the Day the Rats Arrived,
He Filled 18 Bags With Bodies
in case you missed it

On the Day the Rats Arrived, He Filled 18 Bags With Bodies

An Australian town is suffering from a plague of long-haired rats

(Newser) - "It is still livable," says a local official, but after reading about the situation in the Australian town of Karumba, you might disagree. It, along with other towns in Western Queensland, is suffering from an invasion of long-haired rats. NPR reports that healthy rainfall led to a boom...

They've Raised 'Neuty' From Infancy. The State Wants Him
State Relents on Taking
'Neuty' From Couple
updated

State Relents on Taking 'Neuty' From Couple

Louisiana family's nutria is invasive species that needs to be kept at zoo, wildlife officials had said

(Newser) - After a public outcry, Louisiana officials have decided a couple can keep their pet. Denny and Myra Lacoste had afoul of state law by having a 22-pound nutria—a beady-eyed, orange-toothed, rat-tailed rodent commonly considered a wetlands-damaging pest—as a pet that frolics with their dog, snuggles in their arms,...

Congrats, NYC: You're Not the 'Rattiest' City in America

Chicago takes that honor in rankings by Orkin pest control company; the Big Apple comes in 2nd

(Newser) - Think "rats in the city," and many people are likely to envision the rodents who creep around in the Big Apple's alleyways and subway system. It's not New York City, though, but Chicago atop Orkin's list of the "rattiest" cities in America. USA Today...

Hong Kong Blames COVID Outbreak on Hamsters

2K small animals in the city are now to be culled

(Newser) - Hong Kong will cull 2,000 small animals after reporting what could be its first-known case of animal-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. A 23-year-old pet shop employee diagnosed as "the city's first untraceable delta infection in more than three months" is thought to have been infected by one of...

1K Cats Descend on Chicago to Take Down Its Rats

Hundreds of feral felines released by animal shelter to deal with city's rodent problem

(Newser) - Chicago has a rodent problem—one so bad the city has been deemed the "rattiest city" in the nation for the last six years. One local animal shelter has been hard at work combating the issue, using a rather low-tech method: It releases hundreds of feral cats onto the...

This Is Likely the First Mammal Lost to Climate Change

Mosaic-tailed rat has vanished from Bramble Cay off Australia

(Newser) - Way to go, humanity. For the first time in history, human-induced climate change has been found "solely or primarily" responsible for the extinction of a mammal species, according to a new study . The Bramble Cay melomys , or mosaic-tailed rat, was found by Europeans on a tiny coral cay off...

Talk of Sweden: Rat So Giant It Terrified Cat

Rodent was 16 inches long, weighed two pounds

(Newser) - Scientists' prediction that giant rats could someday rule Earth hits a lot closer to home when you have a 16-inch-long rodent running around in your kitchen—and that's not including the tail. Sweden is abuzz over a mega-sized rat dubbed "Ratzilla" (unappetizing photos here ), which was discovered...

Capybara Rodent Roams Paso Robles, California

 California Water 
 Worker Snaps
 Pics of Giant 
 Rodent 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

California Water Worker Snaps Pics of Giant Rodent

Turns out to be a capybara, the world's biggest rodent

(Newser) - Turns out that a giant 100-pound rodent recently spotted in California is ... well, a giant 100-pound rodent. Called a capybara, it was photographed by a water treatment plant worker who posted the pics—which quickly went viral, the Los Angeles Times reports. "He seemed pretty content," said one...

Tree Rat Reappears After 113 Years
 Tree Rat 
 Reappears 
 After 113 Years  
in case you missed it

Tree Rat Reappears After 113 Years

Red-crested tree-rat walks up to biologists

(Newser) - A rare South American rodent not seen since the Spanish-American War has turned up at the doorstep of a nature reserve in Colombia. The red-crested tree rat ambled up to a pair of amazed volunteers at the El Dorado Reserve in the Sierra Nevada, Wired reports. The last recorded sighting...

Rat Crashes Obama Speech
Rat Crashes Obama Speech
watch the video

Rat Crashes Obama Speech

Rodent apparently supports Wall Street reform

(Newser) - No gatecrashers at President Obama’s second state dinner, but there was one yesterday as he spoke at the White House. A rodent, presumably a rat, ran across the Rose Garden steps just before Obama walked out to speak (watch the video at left—the rodent gets quite a reaction...

Rats Laugh When Tickled
 Rats Laugh When Tickled 
viral video

Rats Laugh When Tickled

And guess what? They like it!

(Newser) - A YouTube gem from 2007 is making the rounds again, teaching us something kind of neat and kind of gross: Rats laugh when tickled. When a Bowling Green University professor decided to try tickling the rodents, and then listening to their resulting high-frequency noises on a “bat detector,”...

Threatened Hamsters Land France in Court

EU aims to force French to save rodent of Alsace

(Newser) - Indifference to the great hamster of Alsace has landed France in hot water with the European Union, the Telegraph reports. Fewer than 200 of the distinctive black-bellied rodents remain. EU officials, charging that France has refused all attempts to protect the tiny animal, are taking the nation to Europe's highest...

China Uses 'the Pill' to Stop Gerbil Overpopulation

Officials hide contraceptive meds in gerbil feed

(Newser) - Chinese officials have resorted to contraceptive pills to control the exploding gerbil population threatening a fragile desert ecosystem, the BBC reports. The government is placing feed pellets mixed with the medication by the gerbils’ burrows, which damage the roots of what plants survive there. Authorities have tried measures to boost...

'Mickey Mouse of the Desert'
'Mickey Mouse of the Desert'

'Mickey Mouse of the Desert'

Scientists film endangered critter for the first time

(Newser) - A rare rodent with jumbo ears and a kangaroo hop has been nabbed on video for possibly the first time, the BBC reports. Scientists who braved the Gobi desert recently observed the jerboa as part of a plan to help the endangered and extremely rare mammal. The critter amazed them...

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